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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29112351">Between the Margins of Your Spotlights</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ihaveablackdog/pseuds/ihaveablackdog'>ihaveablackdog</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Mentioned Kageyama Tobio, Mentioned Miya Osamu, Minor Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Musical References, Pining, Yes you can still pine even though you're in a happy and established relationship, musical actor AU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:07:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,411</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29112351</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ihaveablackdog/pseuds/ihaveablackdog</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Atsumu Miya is a brilliant actor. Listening to him singing is like taking a walk in a sunny spring day, under a blue sky littered with feathery white clouds. Shouyou Hinata is proud to be near him, to be loved by him, but he's afraid that he could never belong in the same league with the man he adored and looked up to -- that he would never deserve a place by Atsumu's side. </p><p>--<br/>In which talented but unknown musical actor Shouyou Hinata had been dating leading young musical actor Atsumu Miya for years, and he's scared that he'd never be able to close the gap between them.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu, Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>71</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Between the Margins of Your Spotlights</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi, folks! Thank you so much for stopping by. I wrote this totally self-indulgent fic for people who love both Haikyuu! and musicals, in other words people like me lol, but I hope it's not too nerdy so that anyone who loves Atsuhina will still be able to enjoy it.</p><p>I made <a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrkYNztTsMaMrFv2LqiVtvLdNOnCDZvRb">a playlist</a> of the songs mentioned in the fic, do check it out if you're interested.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Listening to Atsumu Miya singing is like taking a walk on a sunny spring day, under a blue sky littered with feathery white clouds.</p><p>Shouyou Hinata sat on the sofa, one hand hugging his knees and clutching a remote with the other, eyes fixated at Atsumu on the smart television screen mounted on his wall. Clear tenor voice reverberated throughout the apartment, sanguine vibratos caressing his skin. Shouyou surrendered and let Atsumu’s rendition of “For Forever” from “Dear Evan Hansen” musical — half a step higher than the original key if he weren’t mistaken — wash over all of his senses. One does not simply contain Atsumu’s performance to just sight and hearing.</p><p>Shouyou hoped the live audience who attended the taping knew how much of a privilege it was for them to be able to watch Atsumu perform the song for the first time in person. Shouyou observed the figure wearing a striped blue and white polo shirt on the screen. Atsumu’s pale blond dyed hair, which he’d impeccably styled normally, was parted on the right side and combed to sit neatly on his scalp.</p><p>This was probably Atsumu’s most understated role so far, and if Shouyou knew Atsumu only by his public image or a couple of his plays, he would’ve probably joined the choir of netizens who were complaining about how wrong it was to cast Atsumu Miya, <em>such a diva</em> that he was, in a role of a teenager tortured by severe social anxiety and guilt. However, while Shouyou agreed that the theater community did make a mistake, it was not in the casting, but in the way they had been typecasting Atsumu in glamorous roles instead.</p><p>Shouyou couldn’t fully blame them for that, though. He could imagine how it felt to be sitting in the casting room and saw Atsumu Miya and his larger-than-life personality walking into the room. Either they give the most extravagant role in the play for him, or experiment and risk the other male lead getting overshadowed by his natural charm.</p><p>Shouyou shivered when Atsumu got to <em> “shines on my face” </em> and belted it with a controlled rasp in his voice, glassy eyes reflecting the lighting coming from above him, hands stretched forward, reaching towards a friend he knew he never had but somehow missed.</p><p><em> There it is </em>. Shouyou could almost hear a thousand doubting hearts make a 180 when that note struck. It’s what people who only knew Atsumu from his most typical roles never saw: that Atsumu could turn the white clouds in the clear spring sky into thunderclouds without a warning. The greatest artists have as much power to break hearts as to lift them, and when Atsumu meant it, he could make the ache last as long as the memory of a puppy love that ended with a bitter rejection. And if there’s one constant truth about Atsumu, it’s that he’d never step on the stage not fully meaning it.</p><p>Something stung at Shouyou’s throat. At this point, anyone who still had a gripe about the casting was probably just being petty. Even Shouyou, who was 110% on board with the decision, couldn’t help but feel more than just a bit envious of Atsumu’s talent and skills.</p><p>He exhaled through trembling lips as Atsumu dragged the last note in a smooth falsetto, as if in gratitude of the memories Evan never made but cherished all the same. The studio fell into stillness for a split second before the audience broke off their rapt and leapt to their feet to bestow Atsumu with a roaring round of applause that seemed to have lasted forever.</p><p>The pride that’s bursting inside his chest filled Shouyou so completely that it seeped out of his eyes, alongside a simmering dread that he could never belong in the same league with Atsumu, that he would never deserve a place by his side.</p><p>He was too busy wiping his eyes and trying to cast away the unproductive self-doubt that he didn’t hear footsteps climbing the stairs at the end of his apartment’s corridor, until the front door violently flew open, and a seemingly out-of-breath Atsumu bursted inside in a hurry.</p><p>“Am I late? Is my part— oh, dammit!”</p><p>Shouyou heard the man cuss at the exact moment the TV showed the smiling face of Akane Yamamoto, a reporter that had been following Atsumu, Shouyou, and their peers since she was just a middle schooler obsessed with theaters — when “the golden generation” were still wet-behind-the-ears teenagers in high school theater circuit. Shouyou would argue that if Akane hadn’t uploaded videos of their performances to YouTube, the theater craze among Japanese youth and tourists wouldn’t have been kicked into motion.</p><p>Of course, the credit also went to Tetsurou Kuroo, former captain of Nekoma theater troupe, who even as a college student had worked with entertainment and cultural agencies on the mainstreaming of musical theater in Japan. The licensing of many high-profile musicals in the past couple of years, including Atsumu’s own “Dear Evan Hansen”, could be attributed to his tenacity and business sense. Kuroo aims to make Tokyo the heart of Asia’s musical theater and seize the attention of musical fans who find it too expensive to go to the US or UK to watch a performance — and he’s hell bent on making the golden generation the back bone of his plan.</p><p>“Don’t worry, Atsumu-san. Your interview just started.” Shouyou said reassuringly, but his eyes were still glued to the screen, where Atsumu was enthusiastically explaining to Akane the relevance of “Dear Evan Hansen” to the Japanese audience. Shouyou could see Atsumu trudging towards the kitchen in his peripheral vision and hear him grumble, “Yeah, but I wanted to see my performance.”</p><p>Shouyou chuckled at the childish comment. He turned his head toward Atsumu to reply that he must have seen the recording a hundred times before tonight’s airing anyway, but the taunt died in his throat when he laid his eyes on the older man.</p><p>“Your hair!” He exclaimed, eyes wide, too flustered to form any meaningful reaction.</p><p>Atsumu responded with an ear-to-ear grin. “Yeah, what about it?” He asked teasingly.</p><p>Shouyou just blinked repeatedly; his mouth kept opening and closing while random words bounced around inside his head, none of them what he was looking for. Atsumu wore his promo shoot hairstyle home — the same one he wore on the TV — but it was <em> a different color</em>.</p><p>Hinata swallowed and stammered, “It’s — it’s black.”</p><p>Atsumu laughed at whatever expression Shouyou made when he said that, and the tangerine-haired boy felt his face flush uncontrollably. Shouyou had seen Atsumu’s childhood photos when he visited his home in Hyogo — what his boyfriend used to look like before he and his twin brother Osamu decided that twin pranks were getting old and the privileges had become annoyances. But Shouyou had never seen a raven-haired Atsumu <em> in person </em> . Besides, the most recent photos of the phenomenon were from middle school anyway — so the raven-haired Atsumu from back then and the one standing in front of him still looked very different. <em> He looked — fuck, he — </em></p><p>“Oh, Shou. Do I really look <em> that </em>good?” Atsumu dropped his shoulders and sighed affectionately at Shouyou, who was still trying to free himself from his paralyzed state. Shouyou was so out of it that he didn’t notice Atsumu walking towards him until the taller man stood in front of him, a smile blooming softly as he cupped Shouyou’s face and kissed the corner of his lips. Shouyou hoped the twitch of his lips didn’t give away the fact that his poor brain absolutely short-circuited.</p><p>Unable to summon any intelligent thought, Shouyou mumbled, “You look… like… like—”</p><p>Atsumu furrowed his brows and said in a warning, “Don’t say it.”</p><p>Shouyou instantly understood what Atsumu thought he was going to say and it took him out of his utter nonplus. He snorted and said, “Oh, that’s right, like—”</p><p>Atsumu barked, “Don’t say it!” but it’s too late. <em> Osamu-san </em> already slipped through Shouyou’s lips. Atsumu pounced as if on command and wrestled him down on the sofa, then tickled him until he roared for mercy.</p><p>“Sorry! I shouldn’t have— <em> hahahahaha! </em> Stop it Atsumu-san!”</p><p>Atsumu ceased his tickling, probably not out of pity, but because he worried that their neighbors would hear their ruckus.</p><p>“Don’t ever say that again,” Atsumu huffed in Shouyou’s ear, still not letting the smaller boy go. Shouyou giggled and raised his right index and middle fingers in the air. “I promise.”</p><p>Atsumu sighed dramatically, making an exaggerated irritated face, before he let go of Shouyou and rose to make his way to the kitchen, taking off his coat and throwing it to the armchair in one graceful motion. Shouyou watched the whole sequence of Atsumu washing his hands in the sink and drying them before unwrapping the Onigiri Miya paper bag on the kitchen counter with a fond smile on his face, as if Atsumu was dancing to an interlude instead of performing a series of mundane tasks.</p><p>“Did they ask you to dye it black for the photoshoot?”</p><p>“No, it was my idea,” Atsumu answered as he began to plate the rice balls, at which point Shouyou realized Atsumu definitely ran straight home as soon as he got them, seeing as they were still steaming, filling the apartment with a scrumptious smell that immediately made Shouyou salivate inside his mouth.</p><p>“I thought it would suit Evan more,” Atsumu continued. "The team agreed. They also thought the promo images would create more buzz this way.”</p><p>He opened the fridge and grabbed two bottles of beer for himself and Shouyou. It was pretty much routine for them that he didn’t even need to ask if Shouyou wanted one. “Was it a solo photoshoot?” He queried once again while Atsumu walked back to the sofa with their food and drink.</p><p>“Oh, we took pictures of the three main cast, did a group interview, the usual.” Atsumu plopped himself on the sofa beside Shouyou. He put the onigiri-filled plate on the coffee table in front of them and handed the beer to Shouyou, who perked up at his answer.</p><p>“So… what did you think of them?” Shouyou asked carefully.</p><p>Shouyou remembered how Atsumu wasn’t thrilled when Kiyoomi Sakusa rejected the offer to play Connor Murphy, another lead role in the musical. Atsumu had promptly FaceTimed Sakusa as soon as he heard the news and proceeded to accuse him of chickening out from the role because he’s afraid performing “Sincerely, Me” — especially with Atsumu — would tarnish his suave and mysterious image. Shouyou had busted his stomach laughing when an impassive Sakusa turned off the call in the middle of Atsumu’s tirade without even saying anything back, leaving the latter screaming at his phone screen in frustration.</p><p>But in all honesty, he also knew the reason Sakusa rejected the role was probably similar to why Atsumu so quickly snatched the chance to play the titular role in the first place. It was high time for the Prince of Darkness to break out of the shell that was his moniker. Likely, Atsumu himself understood it as well; he was just excited for a chance to act and sing alongside Sakusa again. The pair shared equally strong work ethics and obsession towards their art even though everything else about them was polar opposite, which was why Atsumu always held Sakusa in high regard, though he would never say it out loud.</p><p>Nevertheless, the production team considered Sakusa’s rejection as a chance to come up with an equally — if not more — lucrative casting. Something that would appeal more to the general public market they’re aiming for. They decided to, on Kuroo’s advice, offer the roles of Murphy siblings to Lev and Alisa Haiba, who accepted — much to Atsumu’s chagrin.</p><p>Though famous and supported by large fanbases, the Haibas don’t come from a theater background, especially Lev. Alisa began her career as a model and dorama actress and had just started dabbling in theater for the last one year, without any prior experience in music. On the other hand, while Lev was definitely more accustomed to music, this was going to be his first foray into theater, and his status as a heart-throb frontman of a popular rock band made Atsumu reluctant to work with him.</p><p>“Come on, Atsumu. You know they’re gonna sell. Besides, Kuroo-san is pushing for the tourism ministry to give their official support for this project, so they need someone with a certain level of international popularity like Lev Haiba. And, if he brings in the international fans, it’s gonna be good for you, too,” Rintaro Suna, Atsumu’s publicist-cum-agent and long time theater colleague, had told him during their last get-together at Onigiri Miya’s Tokyo Branch, which was attended by Osamu and Shouyou as well. “And I bet they’re not as bad as you think they are,” Suna had added before Atsumu could start whining.</p><p>Atsumu bit into his onigiri and sighed in delight before he finally replied to Shouyou. “I asked them if they’d studied their roles, what their favorite numbers were, got them to recite and sing some of the lines…,” he paused to chew his food and Shouyou chuckled, imagining Lev Haiba, a bona-fide rock star with a global fandom, get intimidated by Atsumu, a musical actor whose popularity and following were niche in comparison.</p><p>“And? Did they pass the test?”</p><p>Atsumu cleared his throat and shrugged. “They’re not as bad as I’d thought.”</p><p>“Good for them.” Shouyou bit into his onigiri to mask his smirk. Suna was right, yes, but it was not much of a bet. People are rarely as bad as Atsumu thinks they are.</p><p>However, Shouyou knew Atsumu didn’t do what he did just for the sake of being difficult or to gatekeep less experienced people from musical theater. Being selective about whom he shares the stage with is Atsumu’s way to protect his craft and Shouyou counts it as a positive trait rather than otherwise. It’s obviously important for Atsumu to present his best, but it also matters to him that the whole ensemble do the same. It’s one of the reasons it means the world to Shouyou to get good enough at this performing business. So that he can stand on the same stage with Atsumu and shows, without a doubt, that he deserves to be on Atsumu’s side.</p><p>Shouyou scooted closer to Atsumu and they ate in companionable silence, waiting for the commercial break to conclude so the charity program would resume. Atsumu finished his onigiri first and asked Shouyou as he cleaned his hands with a wet wipe, “Ya heard back from the audition yet?”</p><p>Shouyou froze for a bit before he swallowed and provided Atsumu with an answer. “No. Yachi-san was supposed to hear back from them today, and I haven’t heard from Yachi-san, so maybe they haven’t reached a decision.” Hitoka Yachi and Shouyou had been working together ever since the Karasuno theater club days, so he trusted her to deliver any news as soon as possible.</p><p>Atsumu looked more than a little annoyed. “I don’t know what’s takin’ ‘em so long. If I were them I would cast ya in a heartbeat.”</p><p>Shouyou’s lips quirked at the statement. He swallowed the last of his onigiri and reached for the wipes. “You don’t even know what I was auditioning for, Atsumu-san.”</p><p>“Yeah, ‘cuz ya never tell me what ya audition for. Said I would jinx it,” he pouted.</p><p>Shouyou laughed and took a sip of his beer. “I said, I don’t want to jinx it. Not that <em> you </em>would.”</p><p>Atsumu was about to say something when their attention got snatched by a succession of three familiar notes played on the piano coming out from the TV. One bar was all they needed to simultaneously jerk their heads at the screen — they’d recognize the motion picture version of “The Glamorous Life” from Sondheim’s “A Little Night of Music” anywhere.</p><p>“Oh, hell, no.” Atsumu muttered under his breath. Shouyou said nothing, but he shared Atsumu’s sentiment.</p><p>On the screen, Koutarou Bokuto was standing in the middle of the stage, clad in a frilly white shirt with smock sleeves and tight black leather pants, clutching a white lace parasol in his right hand. Of course, if there’s a man audacious enough as to tackle the number on national TV, it would be Bokuto, and Shouyou had no doubt that he’d be able to pull it off splendidly.</p><p>And so far, that he did. Shouyou couldn’t help but be utterly captivated by Bokuto’s flawless command of his instrument — his impeccably smooth blending from chest to mixed to head voice and back, his sharp articulation, his vibrato control — and most of all, his acting. Bokuto almost made Shouyou believe that he was a preteen girl singing about a mother she adored but rarely saw, and, from the looks on his face, it seemed that Atsumu felt the same way.</p><p>Shouyou knew that as much as Atsumu itched to make a snarky comment out of sheer competitiveness, he wouldn’t dare interrupting the spellbinding sound Bokuto was filling their apartment with. Although, he did scoff when Bokuto kept the lyrics that referred to him as “daughter” without hesitation, did groan when Bokuto winked at the camera as he sang “<em>gay and resilient with applause, what a glamorous life</em>”, and — at last — gave in and wailed into a cushion when the silver-haired man opened his parasol just before he began the line “<em>I am a princess, guarded by dragons, snorting and grumbling and rumbling in wagons</em>”, no doubt in an homage to the 1977 film. Shouyou was certain the reference was lost on most of the audience, but it was undoubtedly a delightful treat for the minority who caught it.</p><p>Atsumu spent the rest of Bokuto’s performance with half of his face covered by the cushion, but Shouyou could almost see his head fuming. Unsurprisingly, when the spectacle concluded with a thunderous applause a short while later, Atsumu threw the cushion half-heartedly at the TV and screamed, “Not fair, Bokkun!” Then he gulped half of his beer in one go.</p><p>“You didn’t watch his performance live?” Shouyou asked amusedly.</p><p>The older man huffed and shook his head. “Nah, I had to leave right after my turn. Would’ve said something to ya if I saw <em> this</em>.”</p><p>Shouyou snuggled to Atsumu and said soothingly, “Well, you should’ve seen your performance, Atsumu-san. You were amazing, too.”</p><p>Atsumu turned to look at Shouyou who was resting his head on his upper arm. “I know, I’ve seen the preview,” he groused, confirming Shouyou’s unsaid guess from earlier. “But that was just too cool. I wanted to sing a female solo, too, but I had to sing something from ‘Evan’.”</p><p>Shouyou wondered what Atsumu’s initial pick was. Probably a female villain’s number, like Mother Gothel’s “Mother Knows Best”, or something by a real maternal character, like Margaret New’s “He’s My Boy”. His boyfriend had always had a thing for older women roles, and had told Shouyou, half-complainingly, that the moms and older women almost always get the most emotional solo in a play. No doubt he’s lamenting the fact that Bokuto had seized the chance to perform a female solo on national TV before he could. And now Shouyou had missed the chance to say something about it because his boyfriend’s attention was already focused on his rival’s interview with Akane.</p><p>Bokuto mentioned with a wide grin that should everything go well, he’d have an exciting role to announce within the year. Atsumu clicked his tongue at that and Shouyou raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“What? Atsumu-san, you know what he’s talking about?”</p><p>Atsumu rolled his eyes. It’s clear the answer was something he had been keeping for himself, and it had been torturing him. “It’s probably Orpheus,” Atsumu mumbled. Shouyou dropped his jaw.</p><p>“No way! ‘Hadestown’?”</p><p>And just like that, Atsumu leapt onto his knees on the couch and launched into an animated rant.</p><p>“Okay. Ya know Bokkun has never been good with secrets, right? Not that he actually said anything, it’s just that lately, every time I run into him, he’d be humming the ‘<em>laa la la la la la laa</em>’, or ‘Wait for Me’, or whatever from the show. And that made me suspicious enough, but the clincher was the other day, on the dry rehearsal for the charity. So Akaashi-kun was with me in the waiting room, and he and I were talkin’, right. And there were a bunch of other people there, too. Then Bokkun suddenly barged into the room and knelt before Akaashi-kun, and sang ‘<em>come home with me</em>’, and when Akaashi-kun stuttered, ‘B-Bokuto-san’ — ‘cuz what was the poor dude gonna say? — Bokkun boomed, ‘<em>I’M OOORPHEUS</em>’.”</p><p>Then he paused for a breathe — and dramatic effect.</p><p>“Ya should’ve seen Akaashi-kun’s face. Even <em> I </em>was embarrassed. But anyway. That’s how I sorta had a hunch about the role. This interview only made it clearer. And if I’m right, it’s going to be one of the most impressive productions ever, and I bet it’s gonna sell like crazy, too.” He plopped himself back on the couch as if he didn’t just drown Shouyou with a storm of words, filled with perfect impersonation of both Bokuto and his long time boyfriend, Keiji Akaashi.</p><p>Yet, before Shouyou could begin formulating a response, Atsumu quietly yielded, “He’d be perfect for it.”</p><p>Shouyou smiled. Atsumu is, first and foremost, a theater idiot before he is an actor and a performer. Thus, as green with envy as he was, Atsumu would never say something dishonest about theater. Shouyou knew that mixed with jealousy was an excitement to see how Bokuto’s Orpheus would turn out to be. It filled Shouyou with a warm sensation in his core which traveled throughout his limbs and made the ends of his nerves tingle.</p><p>“He’d probably be, yeah.” This time Shouyou stood on his knees facing Atsumu, who was still sitting with his back leaning on the couch. He waited until Atsumu caught his eyes, then he straddled Atsumu’s lap and put his arms on his partner’s shoulders, linking his hands behind Atsumu’s head.</p><p>“But you’re gonna be amazing, too, Atsumu-san. Everything you do will always be one-of-a-kind.”</p><p>Shouyou saw Atsumu’s expression soften in an instant and reveled in the subtle change. He loves that he always has that effect on Atsumu and he’s thankful that he can count on it whenever he thinks Atsumu needs it.</p><p>Atsumu made a straight line with his tightly closed lips. He gazed back into Shouyou’s eyes and put his arms around the smaller man’s waist.</p><p>“Ya think so?”</p><p>“I <em> know </em>so, and you do, too.”</p><p>Shouyou leaned to bring his face closer to Atsumu’s. But before he reached, Atsumu had craned his neck forward to bring their lips together. His lips were wet and cold from the beer, but Shouyou could still taste a hint of minced tuna, Atsumu’s favorite onigiri filling. The kiss tasted like Atsumu; like comfort itself.</p><p>Shouyou lowered his hips until he fully sat on Atsumu’s lap, sweatpants touching slacks. Atsumu’s hands traveled to the small of his back, but neither of them tried to bring the embrace closer, to make it more than what they were already having. This was enough.</p><p>Shouyou broke the kiss to Atsumu’s sheepish grin, before the taller man buried his head in the crook of Shouyou’s neck.</p><p>“I wish someone would just cast us together already, Shou,” Atsumu said, voice muffled by Shouyou’s hoodie.</p><p><em> And wouldn’t that be nice</em>, Shouyou mused, fingers carding Atsumu’s dark hair softly. Atsumu had told him, many times since they were in high school, that Shouyou deserved a bigger stage, a lead role that would direct the attention of the whole audience only to him. Having Atsumu’s confidence in him had always helped to keep Shouyou going. But on days like these, it feels like it’s the only thing that keeps Shouyou going.</p><p>It’s one thing when Shouyou was a part of Karasuno’s troupe, when he had the genius of Tobio Kageyama’s arrangement and his absolute pitch beside him. Together, it felt like they could rule the world. Yet, though the praises he’d received for his natural talents during the three years in high school never made Shouyou complacent, and though he’d known that natural talent wasn’t going to be enough to make it in the professional scene, the real world was still much more unforgiving than he’d prepared himself for. He had to compete with people who had worked on their craft since junior high school, and in some cases, all their lives. Then there were also people who had both prodigious talent <em> and </em>unrelenting obsession toward music and theater, like Kageyama or — the man Shouyou’s currently sitting on.</p><p>Shouyou had felt the weight of that gap even before he graduated and that’s why he went to Canada to train for two years, in spite of Atsumu telling him that he had enough talent and stage presence to make for his lack of experience. And if he were to be objective, Shouyou would say that he’d grown by leaps and bounds as the results. Now that he’s back in Japan, though, he’s suddenly not so sure. This audition would be the moment of truth that would tell whether or not his gamble would pay off.</p><p>“Shou?” Atsumu’s voice snapped him out of his reverie. He looked down to see his partner’s face no longer buried in his chest. Now it was Atsumu’s turn to run his fingers through Shouyou’s hair.</p><p>“You’ll be fine,” he whispered. “I know my stuff, Shou. And if my opinion’s still worth a damn, I know you’ll be doing just <em> fine</em>.” He put his hand on Shouyou’s right cheek and kissed the other for good measure.</p><p>Shouyou let out a breathy, embarrassed laugh upon realizing that he just had an existential crisis while sitting on his lover’s lap. He was about to mutter his thanks to Atsumu when both of them felt Shouyou’s phone vibrate in his kangaroo’s pocket. They stared at each other for a fraction of a second before Shouyou gingerly took the gadget out of his pocket.</p><p>His heart dropped when he saw Yachi’s name on the screen.</p><p>Shouyou scrambled to get off of the couch and ran to the kitchen to pick up the call. Atsumu whipped his head back to follow Shouyou’s motion — his expression showing that he knew who the call was from.</p><p>The air was thick with tension for the whole duration of the call and Shouyou could tell that Atsumu was frustrated for not being able to hear anything from where he was sitting. When Shouyou finally said thanks to Yachi and hung up, the taller man was already standing up on the floor and looking at Shouyou expectantly.</p><p>“… so?” Atsumu asked, biting his lower lip.</p><p>Shouyou had no idea where to begin, so he just let his feelings show on his face. But it was obviously enough for Atsumu, who only took one second to run to hug Shouyou so tight he knocked all the air out of Shouyou’s lungs.</p><p>
  <em>“Ya got it!” </em>
</p><p>Atsumu shouted, hugging and lifting Shouyou off the floor that the smaller boy almost dropped his phone. He immediately put Shouyou down when the poor boy started laughing-coughing and brought their bodies together in a softer embrace instead.</p><p>Atsumu pressed Shouyou’s head against his chest and said, again, softly and full of relief, “Ya got it.”</p><p>Shouyou was still overwhelmed by all the feelings that filled his chest. Before Yachi called, he had already begun to resign himself to the worst possibility, so it was difficult for him to reciprocate Atsumu’s emotions.</p><p>“Y-yeah,” he finally said after Atsumu gave them some distance, “it was part of the main ensemble— and they want me to be the understudy for the principal role, too.” Shouyou said amid his disbelief.</p><p>“That’s <em> amazing </em>, Shouyou. That’s some great opportunity. I never doubted ya, but— congratulations, really.” Atsumu held Shouyou’s hand with both of his and brought it to his lips, gently kissing the knuckles one by one. Shouyou would have blushed if he weren’t in the middle of dealing with a vortex of emotions twisting in his core.</p><p>Then Atsumu stilled like a thought just dawned on him.</p><p>“Wait, ya haven’t told me what play ya auditioned for,” he furrowed his brows. “Spill, now.”</p><p>This was what Shouyou had been dreading before Yachi’s call came. Frankly, he had no idea how he was going to tell Atsumu this if he didn’t make the cut. But he had no such thing, nothing to fear, now.</p><p>“It’s yours,” Shouyou blurted out. He couldn’t see his own face, but he knew Atsumu must be seeing his eyes filled with sparkles. He’d never felt this <em> bright </em> before.</p><p>“Mine…?” Atsumu floundered. “Shouyou, ya mean—?”</p><p>Atsumu brought his hand to his mouth, like he already understood what Shouyou meant but needed a definite confirmation.</p><p>“‘Dear Evan Hansen’. I— I got the Jared Kleinman role. And they want me to be your understudy.”</p><p>Shouyou watched Atsumu’s eyes slowly grew wider as words came out of his mouth, and when he finished his sentence, Atsumu broke the purest smile Shouyou had ever seen on his face.</p><p>It was mesmerizing, to see the man he loved and admired would react that way for Shouyou’s sake.</p><p>“Shou,” Atsumu cupped Shouyou’s face and tilted it upward, then he leaned down until their foreheads touched.</p><p>“You know what this means? We can finally sing on the same stage,” he whispered.</p><p>Both of them closed their eyes, like sending a silent prayer of gratitude.</p><p>“And on the off chance that shit happens, like if I suddenly develop a pollen allergy and my whole face’s swollen, people would see ya in my place, and they’d finally see what I’ve always seen,” Atsumu added and Shouyou snorted.</p><p>They both laughed and hugged, staying in each other’s arms for another few moments. Then Atsumu abruptly peeled himself off and brushed Shouyou’s hair with his hands, trying to smooth the unruly strands so that they lay flat on his head.</p><p>He leaned back to observe his work for a second and asked, “Do we have glasses lying around somewhere?”</p><p>Shouyou shook his head to Atsumu’s disappointed moan. Undeterred, the dark-haired man made circles with both his thumbs and forefingers and connected them like two intertwined ‘OK’ gestures, and placed them around Shouyou’s eyes.</p><p>Atsumu cocked his head and remarked with the fondest smile on his face, “You’re going to be the cutest Jared ever.”</p><p>It felt like Shouyou’s heart melted and turned into liquid gold in his chest. He really didn’t know how, of all people in the high school theater scene, it only took one rehearsal for one Atsumu Miya to declare to Shouyou Hinata, a rookie whose name he didn’t even know yet, that there was something special with him that he couldn’t find in any other performer, and above all, what inspired him to make a then-one-way promise that one day they would sing together on the same stage.</p><p>Atsumu removed his fingers and placed his hands back on Shouyou’s cheeks. Those hands felt even warmer than before.</p><p>“Thanks for making my dream come true, Shou.”</p><p>Shouyou turned his head slightly to kiss Atsumu’s palm.</p><p>“Thank you for believing in me, Atsumu-san.”</p><p>Atsumu linked his arms around Shouyou and hoisted him until their faces were at the same height. Shouyou wrapped his legs around Atsumu’s waist, then put his arms around Atsumu’s shoulders.</p><p>Atsumu moved his hands to support Shouyou by the thighs, kissed him, and said, “How can I not? No one loves theater as much as I do but ya, Shouyou Hinata.”</p><p>Shouyou smiled and kissed Atsumu once again.</p><p>Tough times awaited him in the near future; workshops, rehearsals, promotions, performances. There were many things he had to prove to many people. But that night, none of those matter. And somehow, Shouyou knew that none of Atsumu’s previous worries about his co-stars or his rival had mattered any longer, too.</p><p>That night, they were just a couple of twenty-something high school sweethearts who were just stepping into the life that they’d been dreaming of. They’d be cherishing that night for many many nights to come, and when time gets hard, Shouyou knew the memory of that night would be another one of the things that keep him going.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Again, thank you so much for reading! Please leave a comment if you liked the fic. Find me on twt as @loveisourvice!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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